the window well looks like the one in the link, but the window is a smaller 'day light' window (not big enough for a person to go through), and the home inspector said having a window well cover will still let sunlight in, but will help prevent having water going into the walls/basement.

Sorry, that makes no sense. Basements do not get water in from rainfall(into window wells). Basements get water in from hydostatic pressure against the foundation. ALL foundations develope cracks over time. It's the pressure against the cracks that allow water in, not the unprotected window wells.
Window well covers will keep leaves out of the recesses.
Ron

i didn't mean getting water into the basement floor/foundation... more like, if there is heavy rain, would the window well be like a bucket and "hold" water then?! would the water find ways to go into the wall from the window? the window seems new though.

If there's a heavy rain, the water will hit the ground. The window well has no bottom. Generally they are just a semi circle of metal resting against the house. They are not sealed in any way and water will get into the well around the sides. With enough rain it could fill up from the bottom, whether you have a cover on or not. The only way a window well cover might protect is if the gutters over the well overflow, directly into the well.
To eliminate the water potential in a window well there should have been a drain system installed linking all the wells together and having them empty into a dry well. On the rare occasion water inundates the area, it empties into the drain, not into the window.
If you don't have a drain system, dig out the wells to a depth of 12" below the window ledge. Or take a post hole digger and dig down as deep as you can(about 36" in most cases) and drop in a 4" PVC pipe with a srainer cover to keep debris out. Keep the top of the pipe below the window ledge.
Ron

We have an emergency exit window in our basement. It's a magnet for toads all summer. Once we had a 'possum in there. Now we have a 2-year-old grandson who runs around in our yard; don't want him falling in there!

I don't see a need to have some $300 fancy plastic cover custom made (odd shape). Is there some sort of aluminum or steel mesh that could be shaped to fit? (Thinking of the sort of thing some screen doors have on the lower part to protect the screening.)

Most window wells, in newer construction, if they were constructed properly, should have a drain in the bottom so that the well will not fill with water in case of a heavy rain. And in reference to Ron's comment: Basements do not get water in from rainfall (into window wells), he apparently doesn't live in Illinois. This very thing happened to a friend of ours and the pressure broke the window flooding the basement. But that was an older home.

The reason for a cover is to keep out lawn debris and the little critters, i.e. toads, field mice, rabbits, etc. from falling into the window well and to keep me from having to fetch them!

Innerweld has a really nice cover because it's a heavy metal grate that can be left open in the summer months and then covered to prevent snow from getting in during the winter.

Window wells certainly do fill with water and dump into basements! My window well has a drain but it is collapsed somewhere down about 10 feet from the drain top. So I placed an outdoor fountain pump into the window well with a sumppump float switch. Works great except when the electricity goes out.

Looking for a permanent solution short of digging up my yard to find the problem. Suggestions????

Anderson Covers makes them custom fit from steel, and they hold up to 300 pounds.

You can also try Abby Grates who also makes them from steel.

It really depends on what you are looking for. The steel ones have small holes in them, but it really depends on what you are looking for. If you just need a cover for safety reasons steel is great. If you want a cover to keep debris, water, etc... out of the well, try polycarbonate.

I have a hairy situation with one of my backyard window wells. About two weeks ago we had heavy downpours in my area and recently renovated basement was completely flooded , it was ruined! it seems that the window well was flooding and overflowing through the window into my basement like a waterfall. I read a post above that suggested installing a pvc makeshift drain , I want to know if anyone has any other suggestions to fix this headache. I also thought that maybe i should extend that half circle barricade above dirt level about 6 inches or so and maybe add some new gravel , and maybe like some type of awning above window to kind of deflect the water away from the house..sounds like too much? PLEASE I NEED SOME EXPERT FEEDBACK ASAP...THANKS

I'm more intereted in a window well cover that will just keep my plants from hanging into window well. I live in a townhouse and the window well is in front of house directly in middle of what little space we have for a flower bed or garden so was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what I can put on it. I've seen the big plastic ones and that would definitely take away from the appearance of the garden.